Kite-frame or like structure



S. P. FERGUSSON.

KlTE FRAME 0R LIKE STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED 001.!9. 1911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEE'I I.

WITNESSES ssa' if lm ZZZ- I W\% S. P. FERGUSSON KITE FRAME 0R LIKESTRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.19. 1911.

1,328, 143, 4 Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

- 2 a Q l Kg Rim IIIIIIIIIIAVIIIflI/IIYI i jigw STERLING P. FERGUSSON,OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RITE-FRAME on LIKE srnuorunni 7 To all whom it may concern: V V j Be itknown that I, STERLING 1 FiercessoN, a citizen of the United. States,residing at lVashiIigton, in the District of Columbia,

have invented a new and usefulf'lmprove-v ment in K1te Frames or likeStructures, of

which: the {fol1owin 2 isa; full, clear, andct e criptio ,r eie e bengd-tc th ac smp y n d a ing a oor in in. 1 i,

b o a 1 Figs. 10 and llareprovided with socket,

his spec ficat n, i whi hr Fig.-

5} is; a plan-j view -lof 1' the monneetor T?" I I i 0 15m 1;: Q hf", 5,Eigwfi 1s asim lar view on EilllGi-llIiB r VII- F g 91 am-i m-v as he621 tion oi still another connector and g llhis invention relates toarrimprovement irn frarnes ri er o kites and hire structures, v and sesigne a [to pr0vi e: ss: wh ch are cheap] of -con t u ti n-,1elicldilyassem le dswhi l firew l-H ng t atna ys f th brace members can bereadily-replaced; we

The precise nature ofm'y invention will be best understood by referenceto the accompanying drawings, which will {now-1 be,-.

described,- it being ipremisedi hwe ver tlrat various-changes may bemade111 13116 detalls of -,co nstruction;and 'theigeneral arrangement of theparts, :without; departing from the-spiritvandi scope of-my nvent on; asdefined in the appended; claims." 7-? a. 7

;,Referring to ,the waccompanylng ;drawings,- 1 the regterenceoharacterfi designates {the lift planes! of the kite,+=3 the, vertical.directive pl esc t ekang a wd ec lv Sele e! These planes are -formed offabric as-usual,

and :are-supported'byl; the. dirame worlr of the structure ;;:T1. is; fame wo k c mpr e the Specification of Letters Patent.

1 ure1 :i 'i-a ner p ct -re v wizcia aeif mr i a i am I pr ved onnect rsre- Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed October 19, 1917. Serial No.'197, 501.

longitudinal bracev members 5 of oval cross shown in detail in Figs. 2to 11 .;inclusive..

The connectors A which are placedat' the eight, corners of the structureand shown membersjS, -9.and 10. The socketmembers 8 are; arranged toreceive the ends 40f; the

oval longitudinal brace members 5; whilethej -;socket vniein ber's t)receive the ends 90f the oval lateral brace-members 7'. Thegreateston'the diameters of the socketemembers. '8--1ie .;i;n

vertical planes and; extend in the direction oftheTfZlIld,-;Wllll6[lllfl6 greatest ldiameters ogfi; the socketmembers 9lie in horizontal plane's. andextend inthe direction of thewind so; thatthesetbrace members. will resist the greatest strains,@ and present thesmallest surfaceto the wind. One end ofqeach of these sockets" is closedto form abutments for the brace members,"the sockets extend at bers 5and 7 overlapeach;other, as'clearly shown. inthe drawings. The sockets10 are" arranged to receive, the endsnof the vertical brace members 6 atthe cornersofsthe structure, and, extend laterally from-the. point wherethe sockets S'Land 9 cross each other. .g'Bo -1nd1cat esthe intermediateconnectors for connectmg the vertical,: longitudinal and;

lateralfbrac es toeach other and are' si1ni'-; lar-tolthe connectors A.The sockets 9% in structure; These connectors are clearly illustrated indetail'in Figs. 6 and/7; and are similar to the connectors A and B, withthe exception that the sockets 8 and 9 are provided with throughopenings for the longitudinal and lateral braces; the sockets 10*? forthe vertical braces being the same.

The-lower central longitudinal braces 5 extend through these connectorsD to form a bowsprit 12 to which the kite bridle or flying cords 13 areconnected.

All of the connectors for connecting two longitudinal members and twolateral members to each other are the same; asthose shown. in Figs. '6and 7.

The connectors E for connecting the endslar braces 15 secured t theseconnectors F and C. This plane is shaped about the braces 15 to form thevortex thereof.

'The bracket F, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

is provided with two wingmembers for the reception of-the brace 15, asocket 14 for the brace 14 anda socket 16 for a short vertical brace 16extending upwardly from aT 17. This T 17 is connected to a shortlonitudinal bracememberlS. The connectors a shown in detail in Figs. land 5, are provided with a through socket 10 for the vertical braces orstruts 6, and transverse sockets 9 for a lateral intermediate bracemember 7. These connectorsare also provided with sockets 8 for the endsofthe short longitudinal braces 18. The sockets 9 of the intermediateconnectors C are provided with through openings for the lateral bracemember 7, while in the end connectors C one end of each of these-sockets9 is closed to form an abutment for the brace member 7 These connectorsC are also provided with Win 19 for the reception of the other end of te brace members 15.

Each of the various connectors is provided with lugs 20 having openings21 there- 'through which are arranged toreceive the ends of tensionmembers 22, which tension members extend diagonally from one connectorto another for holding the frame together.

If it is desired to replace any of the various "brace members, it isonly necessary to release some of the tension members 22, remove theparticular brace and replace it with a similar brace, after which thediagonal tension members are again secured in place to hold thestructure together.

The advantages of my invention result from the provision of a kite orsimilar frame having connectors for the reception of brace membersprovided with abutments for the ends of the brace members, together withmeans for readily holding the connectors in position with relation tothe brace members by means of diagonal tension members, so that any ofthe brace members can readily be replaced without the usual lashing ofone brace member to another brace member.

7 Also in the'provision of connectors in which the socketsfor thelateral and longitudinal brace members for the different planes are indifferent horizontal planes, so that said brace members are adapted toextend from one end of the structure to the other end, or

from one side of the structure to the other side of the structure;

I-claim: c

1. -A kite or like structure, having a frame built up of a plurality oflongitudinal membersextending from end'to endof the structure, aplurality of transverse members extending from side to side of thestructure, connectors at the crossing pointsof the lon-' gitudinal andtransverse-members, the intermediate connectors having through openingsfor said members while the end connecto'rs are provided with socketshaving end closures to form abutments forthe members, verticalstrut'members, sockets in said connectors for the vertical members, anddiagonally disposed tension members connected to adjacent connectors,substantially as described.

2. A-kite or like frame having a plurality of longitudinallyextendingmembers in different horizontal planes, and extending from endto end of the structure, a plurality of transverse members in differenthorizontal planes extending from side to side ofthe structure, thetransverse members and the longitudinal members being in. differenthorizontal planes, connectors for said members at the crossing pointsthereof, the intermediate connectors having through open-V ings for themembers while the end connectors are provided with closed sockets at oneend to form abutments for-said members, a vertical strut memberextending from the crossing point of one of the'horizontal andlongitudinal members in onepla-ne to an adjacent crossing point ofhorizontal and vertical members,'sockets in said connectors for. saidvertical members, and diagonally disposed tension members secured toadjacent connectors, substantially as described.

3. A kite or like structure, comprising a plurality of lifting planes indifferent horizontal planes, directive planes between the liftingplanes, a supporting frame for said planes, said supporting frame havinga plurality oflongitudinal members and a plurality of lateral membersextending at rightangles thereto for each of the lifting planes, aplurality of vertical strut members for retaining the-lifting planes inposition relative to each-other and for supporting the directiveplane's, a connector at the unctions of each of the brace members, saidconnectors'having sockets for the reception of the brace members, thesockets for the longitudinal members and the lateral members oftheconnectors for each of the planes being in different horizontal planes,and diagonally disposed tension members secured to the connectors forholding the parts in position; substantially as described.

4. A kite or like structure having a plurality of upper and a plurality.of lower longitudinal extending brace members, a plurality of upper anda plurality of lower transverse brace members, the upper transversebrace members and the upper longitudinal brace members being indifferent horizontal planes, while the lower transverse brace membersare in diflerefnt horizontal planes from the lower longitudinal bracemembers, a vertical strut member extending from the crossing point ofeach of the lower longitudinal and transverse brace members to thecrossing point formed between the upper transverse and longitudinalbrace members, a metallic connecting member at each of said crossingpoints, the intermediate connectors having through openings for thelongitudinal and transverse brace members and. closed openings for thevertical strut members, the end connectors having closed sockets for thereception of the longitudinal brace members, the transverse members andthe vertical strut members, and diagonalltension members connectingadjacent connectors.

In testimony whereof I have set my hand.

STERLING P. FERGUSSON.

hereunto

